How to Organize in Style Using Dollar Store Baskets

Remember the before image of the linen closet I showed you last week? Well, I don’t quite have the full reveal to show you yet. It has been warm and sunny here the past few days. After the long and cold winter, it felt so good to spend time outdoors in the sunshine and open every window in the house.

Before the weather turned nice, I did finish organizing the contents of dollar store baskets I keep in my linen closet and made tag style labels to keep all the small items in them organized.

If you have a dollar store in your area, I bet you have one or more of these plastic baskets in your home. They come in many sizes and colors. For a buck, they give back one thousand times and are one budget-friendly way to organize the small stuff in every room.

Do you remember it. I created it from a discarded dresser that I found on the side of the road. It is still one of my most popular project posts.

The key to making the contents in the baskets stay organized is to label them. I have posted quite a few ways I like to make labels. From hand printing to using my computer. Labels make all the difference in keeping what you just purged and organized…ORGANIZED! No more guessing where something goes…the label tells you ———> it goes right in HERE.

To add a bit of personality to the classic white tag style labels I made, I used pink grosgrain ribbon to tie each label to a basket. Just a little detail that makes me smile. In my mind, adding a touch of pink to just about anything is always a good thing.

How To Make Affordable Labels To Organize Bins, Baskets, Boxes, and More

Before the birth of the “free printable label”, I always made my organizing labels on my computer. I still do, but nowadays it is easy to find pre-made labels of every color and style imaginable. Just do a search on Google or Pinterest for “Free Printable Labels”. If you are looking for a specific kind of label, just add that to your search query. For example: Free Printable Mason Jar Labels.

Most of us have computer printers which makes label making easy. The hardest part about making the labels will be choosing which labels to choose from the hundreds that will show up in your search. All you need is a pair of scissors or a paper cutter, a hole punch, and some pretty ribbon.

I like classic white labels and use white card stock when I print out my labels. I place a notebook paper reinforcement ring around the hole when I make the hang style tag to add some character to each label.

If you want to protect your labels, use peel and stick laminating sheets. You can buy these at Walmart and office supply stores. I did this for the labels I made for:

Helpful Tips for Cutting and Printing Free Printable Labels and Tags

If you don’t own a digital cutting machine like a Silhouette or Cricut that cuts and prints labels for you, here are a few tips that will make the process of cutting and printing them easier.

Do you know all the bells and whistles on your computer printer? After downloading labels, depending on your printer, you can resize the labels to fit the size you need before printing them out. Custom made with just a few clicks. Check your printer manual to see what options your printer has.

When printing color labels, the color you see on your computer screen may print out differently on paper. Computer and print colors render differently. The colors may not look quite as vibrant when printed.

For round labels and tags, cut around the basic shape, then stack 2 or 3 and use a sharp pair of scissors to cut the exact shape. This makes the process of cutting out the labels go quickly by stacking and cutting more than one at a time.

Labels can do more than organize your stuff, they also make great gift tags.

These Wipe Off Labels I use on the front of boxes are attached with brass fasteners. I buy the fasteners at the office supply store or in the scrapbooking aisle at the craft store.

Download Tag Style Labels

I created the labels for my linen closet using the free font, Modern No. 20. If you’re wondering, the basket labeled “Smile” contains all things having to do with mouth and teeth. “Smile” sounded much better to me for the tag. :-)

Comments

I love those baskets. Congratulations on making ugly plastic look nice I didn’t know it was possible I might have to try this the only thing I wouldn’t like it that it is exposed to everything else such as dust and you would still have to go in there and clean each basket out. Love the map touch

I love your organizing! My problem is a massive dust problem. Each crack or hole in something invites dust bunnies that become dust buffalo. What would you suggest using to keep the dust out instead of the plastic baskets (which I love, btw).

I’m new to your blog and have to tell you I LOVE IT! I love your style, ideas, colours. You make everything seem lots of fun. I’m a very organized person myself, but it’s always fun seeing how other people do things.

Hi Debbie – It is always inspiring finding our kindred spirits in life. I agree with you and find it fascinating to see how others do things. One of my favorite quotes about life is from Diana Vreeland, the legendary fashion editor. You may like it. Here is a link to a post where I posted it: https://inmyownstyle.com/2014/06/how-to-decorate.html

Well, this is just in time! I need to reorganize my messy linen closet and make it possible for the guys to find stuff without having to call me :-) By the way, thanks for all the inspiration here. Parents are selling their house, and I’ve used a number of your ideas to stage the place. Just need to bury that St. Joseph statue in the front yard, lol.

Hi Jan – Oh that is funny about the religious statue. Hope your parents understand that it is in their best interest to remove it before the house gets listed. :-) They can give it a place of honor at their next residence.

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I love all things creative, colorful, and DIY. It is just the way my brain is wired. I can’t add 2+2 to save my life, but I can help you decorate your home in a style that you will love…YOURS! Click to: Read More